Government Plans Land Transfers to Support One Hundred Local Farmers
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FarmersWeekly.co.za reports that Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp has acknowledged failures in government support for emerging farmers and called for changes to land ownership, agricultural finance and the way farmers are supported. Speaking during a panel discussion at Nampo Cape, Aucamp described the agri-hub programme as a failure, saying he had visited hubs where tractors stood unused in storerooms. To begin rectifying the issue of land ownership and title deeds, Aucamp said government planned to identify 100 farmers in each province, conduct due diligence and transfer government-owned land to them.
Farmers can no longer rely on historical patterns to guide decisions in an increasingly unpredictable agricultural environment, making access to timely market, weather and geopolitical information more important than ever. This was one of the central messages at the launch of Absa’s AgriTrends Spring 2026 report at Nampo Cape in Bredasdorp, Western Cape, last week. Weather presented another major uncertainty, with forecasts pointing to a potentially severe El Niño. Loffie Brandt, executive head of AgriBusiness at Absa Group, said that while it was difficult to determine how extreme the event would ultimately be, farmers were entering it from an unusually strong position. Brandt added that while a drier summer was expected to result in a smaller crop, significant carry-over stocks would keep prices lower. International market movements would also influence local prices.
And… With local wheat production under increasing pressure and quality standards having recently been expanded to include the cultivation of white wheat, industry insiders expect the first white wheat cultivars to become commercially available by the end of the decade. Wheat production is no longer economically viable for many South African growers, forcing them to expand their canola hectares over the past five seasons. To prevent further shrinkage in wheat plantings, Grain SA has called for several interventions aimed at improving growers’ profitability. One such intervention is the inclusion of white wheat in the national basket of approved cultivars, which would strengthen diversification and yield stability.
For more news and trusted information about agriculture in South Africa, visit farmersweekly.co.za
Farmers can no longer rely on historical patterns to guide decisions in an increasingly unpredictable agricultural environment, making access to timely market, weather and geopolitical information more important than ever. This was one of the central messages at the launch of Absa’s AgriTrends Spring 2026 report at Nampo Cape in Bredasdorp, Western Cape, last week. Weather presented another major uncertainty, with forecasts pointing to a potentially severe El Niño. Loffie Brandt, executive head of AgriBusiness at Absa Group, said that while it was difficult to determine how extreme the event would ultimately be, farmers were entering it from an unusually strong position. Brandt added that while a drier summer was expected to result in a smaller crop, significant carry-over stocks would keep prices lower. International market movements would also influence local prices.
And… With local wheat production under increasing pressure and quality standards having recently been expanded to include the cultivation of white wheat, industry insiders expect the first white wheat cultivars to become commercially available by the end of the decade. Wheat production is no longer economically viable for many South African growers, forcing them to expand their canola hectares over the past five seasons. To prevent further shrinkage in wheat plantings, Grain SA has called for several interventions aimed at improving growers’ profitability. One such intervention is the inclusion of white wheat in the national basket of approved cultivars, which would strengthen diversification and yield stability.
For more news and trusted information about agriculture in South Africa, visit farmersweekly.co.za
